Klutzilla's Return
by DJ Lee
Summary: Derek notices that Casey’s clumsiness has returned with a vengeance and he can’t help but wonder how and why that is. Dasey.


**Disclaimer:** Life with Derek is copyright Shaftesbury, Disney Channel, Family Channel, and Nickelodeon. This story was created for entertainment purposes only. No copyright infringement intended. It will be removed immediately and without question upon request.

**Klutzilla's Return**

Derek Venturi was not observant, that was a fact. A fistfight could be happening in front of his face and he would not bat an eye, but it if were girls fighting… then that was a different story. It was just how he was. Unless something involved him or something that was of interest to him, he would be oblivious to the world. The situation taking place at that current moment was well… one of those moments that caught his attention. He couldn't fathom how and why it had happened; the only thing he could do was stare in shock and mild curiosity.

On the floor of the school hallway was none other than Casey McDonald, in one of the messiest situations that he had ever seen her in. Her books were scattered all around her and her book bag was resting against the locker it had hit when it flew off her shoulder. Casey sitting on the floor did not surprise him one bit, but the blue paint that was covering her whole body did. To her right was a boy he assumed to be from the chess club if he remembered properly, apologizing to her and trying to help her up.

Everyone in the hall were either laughing and pointing at the mess or showing sympathy for Casey. Wait, scratch that… there was no one showing sympathy toward Casey for the blue mess she ended herself in. "Klutzilla strikes again!" he heard someone behind him yell. One threatening glare to the boy who made the comment had shut him up real nicely.

No one was lending a hand to her and he couldn't help but wonder why. Where was Emily? Oh yes, she had absent today. Derek took a quick glance around him and learned that a fraction of the school was staring down at the mess and that Sam and Ralph were rooted to their spots, also in shock. He realized then that no one was about to move and that if he didn't do anything soon it wouldn't be too long before the rest of the school came around to gawk at the sight. So, against his better judgment, Derek pushed past the crowd and kneeled down next to the paint-splattered Casey.

"Come on, let's get you out of here," he said comfortingly as he placed a hand on her elbow and lifted her up. She didn't protest, but he could assume that her face was bright red from embarrassment from the patches of skin peeking out from under the paint. Looking around her, he quickly picked up the scattered books and shoved them into her book bag, which he slung over his shoulder.

As he was leading her out of the hallway, he was extremely glad that his influence in the school was more than enough to shut up the group of teenagers in the hall and for them to step aside so that they could pass. She was whimpering slightly and he couldn't help but wonder if it was from embarrassment or from the cold sticky substance stuck on her.

"Are you okay?" he dared to ask.

She nodded her head but was for some odd reason avoiding his gaze. As he drove her home, thankful that he had a few old newspapers in the backseat to clean up some of the mess, he dared to sneak a few glances at her from the corner of his eyes. She was determined to avoid his gaze as she stared out the window at the passing scenery.

He cleared his throat before asking, "So, what happened?" He didn't really need to know since he saw it take place. She had just been walking down the hall when all of a sudden she bumped into a ladder and the can of paint that was resting on the top tipped over and fell onto her. He just didn't understand _how_ it happened. What had distracted her when it happened?

He could clearly see the redness in her face, especially after she had rubbed off some of the paint. She mumbled a response which he had trouble hearing and he had to ask her to repeat herself. She seemed reluctant to do so, but repeated it in an even more incomprehensible fashion than before.

Derek sighed. "Repeat that again? This time in a way that I can understand?"

She seemed extremely reluctant and he could see her face turn even more scarlet, if that was even possible. "I bumped into the ladder and the paint can fell on me," she grumbled, sinking slightly into the seat.

He knew that had happened, but it still didn't explain what had distracted her so. He raised an eyebrow but didn't dare further question how she managed that, especially after all the times she had managed to make a fool of herself since she moved in with him.

* * *

Derek didn't know whether to be surprised or amused. Casey had volunteered to cook dinner that night since it was just the two of them. His father and Nora were out for some "alone" time. Marti was with her mother while Edwin and Lizzie were both at their respective friends' houses. He had been in his room browsing through the internet before his stomach had called out to him so he came downstairs and plopped into a chair in the kitchen.

The moment he walked in, he was hit with a pleasant aroma from whatever Casey was cooking. That had not lasted long, for the moment she caught sight of him, she dropped the bowl of spinach onto the floor. He raised an eyebrow in curiosity and was about to question what had gotten to her, but the moment she bent down to pick up the bowl she had hit her head against the counter. He could help but wince from the loud thud it had made.

"Are you okay?" he asked, wondering how much pain she had suffered _before_ and after he walked into the room.

She waved him off, dismissing the pain, though it was written all over her face. "I'm fine. Dinner will be ready soon," she told him as she rubbed her head.

He wasn't sure how long it was before she burned the steak she was grilling and set off the smoke detector. He sighed and reached into his back pocket for his wallet; it looked like they were having pizza for dinner.

* * *

He tightened his grip on her legs as he turned the corner. Her grip around his neck was rather loose and he was afraid that if he didn't hold her tight enough he'd drop her if he wasn't careful.

"Does it still hurt?" he asked after walking in silence for the past ten minutes.

"A little," she admitted.

Derek knew she was lying because her ankle had bumped against his leg a few odd times and every time he could hear her sharp intake of breath and her body tense against his back. Even though she was lying, he didn't hold it against her. He knew her well enough by now that she only lied when she didn't want to be a burden on anyone.

He had decided to go to the football game for once and not because he wanted to see how much the players stunk, but because Casey was cheerleading. He'd never admit it anyone but the only reason why he occasionally appeared at those games were because he was supporting her. He just hadn't counted on her stumbling when she caught sight of him and then botch up a move that resulted in her spraining her ankle. He was just glad that he only showed up toward the end of the game after getting dropped off by his dad and that it was the last cheer she had to do, so she was safe for the most part. Though he had to wonder what was it about seeing him that caused her to fumble like that. He didn't get a chance to ask because before he knew it, they had reached home.

Very carefully, he climbed the stairs so that her sprained ankle bumped against his leg as little as possible. After he dropped her off onto her bed in her room, he was very grateful that she was not too heavy, though she a bit on the light side in his opinion.

"Thanks," she mumbled as she removed her shoes. She was avoiding his gaze again, for some reason he didn't understand. He didn't know what came over him, but he shot her a smile and replied with a, "Anytime."

* * *

It was an extremely long practice and all he wanted to do was crawl into his bed and sleep until dinner. He was sore all over and he didn't know how he managed to walk all the way home in his current state. It was times like these that he cursed the Prince for being in the body shop for the dent he put in it last week. The moment he opened the door, he was surprised to see that he had stumbled in on one of Casey's practice dance sessions.

Although he was dead tired and every muscle in his body ached, he found that he'd rather watch her practice for some odd reason. He wondered for a moment where that urge to crawl into bed went. She was extremely graceful as she danced and he couldn't help but wonder how she managed to be so lithe in her dancing but so clumsy at everything else. He wasn't sure how long he was watching but he was sure that it was quite a while for his feet were beginning to protest against him. She still had yet to see him but the moment she finally tore her attention away from her music and spotted him, she stumbled and fell backward.

He couldn't help but wince at the loud thud her body created as she fell onto the hardwood floor. Where had that gracefulness gone? Once again he didn't know what had come over him, but he had rushed to her side and asked, "Are you all right?"

She nodded, though she held the side of her head and winced as he helped her up. "When did you get back?" she asked a little weakly once she was back on her feet.

Derek shrugged his shoulders casually. "Not too long ago," he lied.

She seemed to have bought his lie for she merely nodded at him and scurried away up to her room, mumbling to him, "I've got some homework to catch up on."

He raised an eyebrow in confusion and watched her retreating form with interest. He was in most of her classes and he knew that there was no homework due anytime soon, which led him to wonder why she was lying to him.

* * *

It was late. That was all he could think about as he paced the length of his room, awaiting her return. He glanced at his clock again and cursed under his breath. It was ten seventeen and she hadn't called to inform the family of her tardiness. What if something had happened? What if she had been mugged? Raped? Or even worse, killed? He didn't want to think about it because it would only increase his worries.

After the twenty-ninth time across his room, he began to question just _why_ he was worrying. This was Casey he was worrying about and he never, if ever, worried for her when she was out late on a date. Of course that only explained why every time she went on a date with Sam, Max, or any other boy, he had kept his eyes and ears peeled for any sign of her return. He had the phone in sights at all times and if Nora didn't get a call at ten, he'd be up pacing his room or doing some other sort of activity to keep his mind off of her, even though it had proved useless most of the time.

He took another glance at the clock and cursed again. It was ten eighteen and still no sign of her return. He just about had it when he heard the sounds of a car pulling up to the driveway and then the distinctive sound of a door slamming shut. Derek just about raced to his door but then restrained himself. There was no need to appear anxious or worried in anyway. Not at all, he told himself.

The moment he heard her footsteps coming up the stairs, he just about had it and yanked his door open, stalking down the hallway until he came at a rest by the edge of the staircase. "You're back!" he exclaimed, wincing at how excited and worried he sounded.

When she heard him, she just about tripped on the staircase in surprise. Unfortunately her grip on the banister was far too loose and she ended up loosing her footing, sending her down the stairs and crushing Edwin who happened to be climbing the stairs after her.

Derek winced at the painful position both his brother and stepsister were currently in.

"What was that for, Casey?" growled Edwin, untangling himself from Casey.

She turned bright red and mumbled an apology which Derek didn't seem to catch. She chanced a glance in his direction but when she did, she immediately fixed her attention on helping Edwin to his feet.

He raised an eyebrow at her weird behavior and half ran down the stairs to ask about her date. "How'd it go?" he asked, startling her and causing her to jump back and nearly falling on her bottom.

Luckily she caught herself in time and only ended up bumping into the disgruntled Edwin. "It was horrible," she answered. "Kenny bored me to tears and he had a flat tire, which he took forever to fix. That's why I'm late. Plus, my phone died on me so I couldn't call home," she grumbled before pushing past him to run up the stairs.

He wasn't aware of what he was doing until Edwin nudged him in the side. "Uh, Derek? Why are you smiling?"

Realizing what he was doing, Derek cleared his throat awkwardly to avoid answering and ruffled his brother's hair before climbing the stairs to head to his own room.

* * *

Derek had been arguing with his dad about his recent punishment for getting another dent in the Prince and was trying to weasel his way out of a two month grounding when Casey walked through the front door. He could tell from the way she dressed and how she carried herself that she had just come back from a long session of cheerleading practice. Sometimes he wondered why she still stuck with the activity after she had broken up with Max, but since it seemed to do wonders for her social reputation he didn't bother to further question it.

She had dumped some of her stuff by the back of his recliner and was about to head to the kitchen for a snack when his father spoke up. "How was practice, Casey?"

She groaned in reply, her back facing the two Venturi men. "Horrible. Whoever came up with that new cheer needs to die."

Derek chuckled in response. "I thought that _you'd_ be the one making up the cheers."

She jumped in surprise at his voice and somehow found herself falling over the back of the couch and onto the floor with a thud, much to his and his father's confusion. How she had managed that, Derek didn't bother asking. He stopped questioning these things after the sixth time she had done something completely puzzling.

"Casey! Are you all right?" he heard his father ask as he rushed up to the girl on the other side of the couch.

"I'm fine!" she exclaimed, somewhat painfully.

He furrowed his brows once again. That girl never ceased to amaze him in the ways she hurt herself. He couldn't help but wonder how she managed to hurt herself when he wasn't around to witness them.

* * *

It was three months before graduation and Smelly Nelly's was packed. Derek hated how busy the place was, but was grateful for the great business; so he sucked it up. He was juggling orders left and right and seating customers. He just about had it, even with the help of his fellow co-workers. The place was crazy and he was surprised that he hadn't gone insane yet. He wasn't sure how much self-control he had left with that old woman in the corner table bossing him around as if she owned the place.

When he delivered his most recent order, he was surprised to see Casey and Emily walk through the doors. A smile made its way to his lips for they proved a good distraction from the mess that he was currently stuck in. When he approached the two girls, he was surprised to see that Casey had somehow managed to knock over the potted plant by the door and fall to the floor. He wasn't sure how she managed that and sent a questioning look to Emily, which she returned with a shrug.

"You okay, Princess?" he asked, kneeling down beside her after he pulled the potted plant back up.

She shot a glare in his direction but grabbed onto his outstretched hand nonetheless. "Don't call me that."

He ignored her request and merely led the two girls to the next open table, which was luckily far away from the old woman in the corner. After he seated the two girls, he couldn't help give Casey a curious look for she kept trying to avoid his gaze as much as possible. He shot Emily another questioning look but she merely shrugged again. He was about to take their order instead when the old woman in the corner demanded his attention again. Groaning, he muttered irritably to the two girls, "I'll be back." That was, if he didn't murder the old woman first.

* * *

Derek collapsed onto his bed after a long tiring day of hockey practice and work. Practice and work on the same day was a bad combination, not to mention torture. His arms and legs were killing him and he wanted nothing more than to sleep the night away. The parents were out again and so were the kids. He groaned when he realized that his door was open and that he would be able to hear all the chaos around the house when everyone returned. He was about to drag himself off his bed to close his door when he noticed Casey, the only person not out, walk by.

She had seen him and for some reason bumped into the bookcase in the hall, nearly knocking it over.

He furrowed his brows in confusion and approached her. For the past few months she had been hurting herself nonstop and he couldn't help but wonder why. He was very surprised that she had yet to land herself in the hospital with all the stunts she had pulled off so far. He figured that if he wanted to find out why then now was as good as a time as ever.

She was beyond flustered and was picking up the random items that had fallen out of the bookcase from when she bumped into it. "H-hey, Derek. What can I do for you?" she mumbled distractedly as stuffed them back into the shelf.

He leaned casually against the wall, observing her every movement with curiosity. "Why do you keep doing that?"

She sent him a confused look as she stuffed the last item back onto the shelf. "Doing what?"

Derek sighed, shaking his head at her confusion. "That," he said, gesturing to the bookcase.

She sent him another confused look. "I don't follow…"

He released another sigh and ran a hand tiredly through his hair. His arm was aching, but he ignored the feeling as he focused his gaze on her fidgeting form. "You seriously don't know?" And at her nod, he closed his eyes briefly in frustration. Deciding that being blunt was the only way to get through to her, he opened his eyes and stated, "You hurt yourself."

Casey raised an eyebrow at his statement, but he knew that she understood what he meant for he noticed her eyes flash with fear for a second.

"Come on, Case," he said, laying a hand on her shoulder. She looked at the hand weirdly and made a move to shrug it off but he stole her attention by saying, "For the past few months you've had paint fall on you, knocked over random stuff and fell so many times that I'm surprised you haven't landed yourself in the hospital yet."

He knew he had her cornered when she started biting on her bottom lip nervously and tried her best to avoid his gaze.

"It's sad to say that you have really lived up to your Klutzilla reputation recently. I just want to know what's up," he said, craning his head, hoping to catch her gaze.

She shook her head, though he noticed that her cheeks had turned slightly pink. "You're not really worried about me, are you?"

The question had caught him slightly off guard, but he managed to remain composed. "How can I not be worried when you've been so prone to accidents lately? Even if I wasn't in the beginning, after having it happen so much and so long I'm bound to truly start worrying about you."

She still refused to look at him, which only further annoyed him.

"You don't have a crush on anyone do you?" he asked, remembering the time that her clumsiness first appeared. "You did a bunch of crazy stuff when you were crushing on Sam."

Her head had snapped to attention at his words and her cheeks further deepened in color. "No!" she denied, though he could clearly tell that she was lying.

Smirking, he asked, "So… who is it, Case? Is it someone I know?"

She deliberately avoided his question and attempted to sidestep him, but he brought both arms out, trapping her between him and the bookcase. She huffed at what he had done and became more determined in avoiding his question.

"Come on, Case. It's just me. I won't tell," he prodded. She shot him a pointed look. "Okay… maybe I _will_ tell, but I'll try not to use it against you."

She rolled her eyes at his prodding but otherwise remained relatively still, keeping her gaze firmly on a spot over his shoulder.

"It can't be Sam since you seem to be over him… maybe Noel Covington?" He watched her face closely as he spoke, hoping for some sort of reaction. So far she wasn't giving him any; she remained stoic, something he didn't know she was capable of doing. "John Connors? Jason Green? Rob Stevenson? Taylor Mitchell? Peter Reynolds?"

Again, she remained stoic as he listed off name after name. He furrowed his brows in confusion. Who could this boy be? So far he named all of the boys that she had any interaction with and judging from the looks on her face, none of them were the one. The only one he had yet to mention was himself. Did he really want to know if she felt the same way he felt for her? After having Sam pound in the idea that those strange feelings Derek had been feeling were love for Casey, he found it very awkward to be around her. He gulped before he asked weakly, "Me?" He knew his voice shook and that it had been full of hope, but he had to know.

He knew that he had just embarrassed himself when she didn't respond for the longest time. He dropped his arms and took a step away from her, running a hand through his hair, frustrated at himself for being such a jerk and idiot. "Look, Casey. I know I shouldn't have done that and I'm really sorry for acting like a jerk at first. It's your life and it's none of my business… Let's just pretend that this never happened, okay?" he said awkwardly, gaze fixated on the floor.

He turned away, about to retreat to his room when her hand shot out and held onto his wrist. Derek turned to look at her, confused as to what she could want after he had just made a complete and utter fool out of himself.

"Wait, Derek." She was biting her bottom lip nervously again and he didn't know what to make of it. "W-when you mentioned yourself at first… what did you mean by that?"

He closed his eyes and groaned at his idiocy. He shouldn't have said anything at all. "Just forget I said anything."

She shook her head and held onto his wrist tighter. "No, Derek. I want to know what you meant by that."

He sent her a look, pleading with her to drop the subject, but knew that he had lost when she didn't budge. She always was stubborn. "I can't believe I'm saying this," he groaned, "but I like you, okay? I like you, Casey McDonald." She was quiet after his little confession. He didn't know what to make of her expression and didn't want to know, so he lowered his gaze to the floor once again.

He was extremely surprised when she had dropped her hold on his wrist and pulled him into a hug instead. "You have me figured out," she whispered with a small laugh. "My clumsiness was all because of you."

Derek couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at that. "Because of me? So… this is like the time with Sam all over again?" he asked, his brain finally kicking in and telling him to return the hug.

"Not quite," she answered with a smile. "That time wasn't because of Sam. That had also been you."

Okay, now he was confused. What did she mean by that? He voiced his thoughts. "What?"

She responded with a small laugh. "Derek, you told me that it was because of Sam, but in actuality, it was you that was causing me to do all those crazy stunts."

He cleared his throat, feeling a little embarrassed about the situation. "But you were fine when you were dating Max," he wondered.

She pulled away slightly to look into his eyes. "I guess you weren't paying that much attention to me, because I was still a klutz, though not as big of one since Max had me preoccupied most of the time."

"Oh," he said simply, cheeks flushed.

"Oh," she mirrored, a grin on her lips.

He let out a small laugh and pulled her to him again. "So does this mean that you're going to be less of one now?"

"I can not guarantee anything, but if you're there to help me… then maybe," she answered, her grin widening.

Derek let out a small laugh. "As long as Klutzilla doesn't put me in the hospital, I'll be fine." He continued to laugh even as she hit him playfully for his quip. "By the way, Case, I'm hungry. What's for dinner?"

She couldn't help but roll her eyes at his question, one that he always asked even at the expense of ruining a moment.

* * *

**A/N: Hey there! I'm back with another one-shot! I'm not quite sure if this is as fluffy as the other one-shots I've written, but I hope you have enjoyed it nonetheless. I have a few more ideas in store for my next stories, so be on the lookout for those. Oh, and I've seen somewhere that the new LwD episodes should be airing soon, so I might have more ideas once those air for those that are enjoying my stories. Until then, see ya next time and have a great summer!**


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